{"product_id":"independent-judgment-and-introspection-jerry-kirkpatrick-9780978780357","title":"Independent Judgment and Introspection: Fundamental Requirements of the Free Society","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhy don't the adults in the story of \"The Emperor's New Clothes\" support the boy who commented on the emperor's decidedly missing wardrobe? Why don't more people practice the independent judgment of that boy?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe answer is fear, real or imagined, of what might happen to them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore often than not, our fears of expressing independent judgment stem from what others might think of us. Disapproval, maybe rejection, is the worst that might happen, yet the anxiety caused by self-doubt can be so strong as to blur our perception of the facts, thus preventing any expression of an independent judgment. When choices based on self-doubt build up over time, habits of perceiving reality through clouded lenses become established patterns of behavior. Seeing the world through the eyes of others, whomever those significant others may be, becomes the norm. Conventionality is the result.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndependent judgment is a fundamental requirement of the free society. Unless each adult citizen possesses a significant amount of self-esteem expressed as independent judgment, such a society cannot last.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis raises an additional question: What kind of psychology is required for the survival of free societies?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author answers: one that correctly identifies reality-the world external to our minds, as well as our minds' internal contents and processes-to guide our choices and actions to live happy, healthy lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree, unhampered market societies require citizens who possess an unhampered consciousness, that is, citizens who possess and practice a strong commitment to facts, expressed as independent judgment and independent action. To ensure that we develop and maintain an independent personality, and therefore will support a free society, we must learn the skill of introspection to identify and correct, or preferably prevent, mistaken thinking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlawed conclusions about life's events cause anxiety, thwarting and constricting our lives, often leading to dependence and unhappiness, which also often means a diminished likelihood of valuing or accepting individual freedom. The virtues of psychological independence are integrity, courage, and a refusal blindly to obey authority.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book concludes that psychological independence and its monitoring skill, introspection, are indispensable prerequisites of the free society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIndependent Judgment and Introspection \u003c\/em\u003eis based on the philosophy of Ayn Rand, the psychology of Nathaniel Branden, and especially the psychology of Edith Packer. Packer's concepts of core evaluation and introspection heavily influence this work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSilver winner, psychology, Benjamin Franklin Awards, Independent Book Publishers Association\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jerry Kirkpatrick\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0978780353\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780978780357\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kirkpatrick Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 204\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.01lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001","brand":"Jerry Kirkpatrick","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44169934471423,"sku":"9780978780357","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d553a742-04e0-4960-90b5-caf1bfb3dcb0.jpg?v=1689655846","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/independent-judgment-and-introspection-jerry-kirkpatrick-9780978780357","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}